Hey knife guys, need some advise modifying this ole Vintage Victorinox RH Forschne Model 403-12 Cimeter Butcher Knife... As it is weighs 7.94 oz. and with 12" blade the total knife length is 17-5/8" long... Found this knife 15 years ago in the shed left by the previous owners of my property but I haven't actually ever used it for anything although if sharpened would bet it could cut some meat...8^) As can be seen, it's missing half of one of the brass pins and part of the wood scale is broke on opposite side...

It's a toad sticker and with all these Grizzly attacks recently on bowhunters, I would like to modify it a little and craft a Kydex sheath and carry it bowhunting in Griz county just in case last resort... A 12" blade oughta reach a Grizzly vitals if one is on top of ya...8^)

I'd like to remove the wood scales and paracord wrap the tang and although it is not full tang but has 4-3/4 inches of tang which is long enough for my hand...

I'm limited with tools for this kind of work although I do have an 8" grinder so what would be the best way to remove the scales? ... Thanks...

Dang Gary! I hope you’re never in a situation where you have to use that fillet knife on a grizzly bear! The Swiss knives have very good steel in them. A fillet knife is very handy for Filling fish. Or deboning venison roasts. I’d sand that handle down. Put a finish on the handle. Put a good edge on it. And leave it exactly how it is. That’s a nice knife.

That would make one Heck of a Fillet knife,I like a blade like that for Flounder :^)

I would tie wrap it to the barrel of a .454 Casull!

Good one olddogrib...8^)))

It's not a fillet knife, too thick, it's blade is pretty duty although you probably could use it on fish... It's actually a butcher knife, Victorinox model RH Forschne Model 403-12 Cimeter that somebody ground or sharpened down... It looks well used so I suspect somebody in their family was a butcher and it had long use... My cousin is a butcher and gave me her boning knife after years of use and it had similar look...

Here is a screenshot and link to a new one:

https://knifemerchant.com/victorinox-rosewood-12-in- scimitar.html? gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw0t63BhAUEiwA5xP54cUCQSZJ0D6JUewHJ10M- 2CE-mkof4UtvUeK3kBD2MhbCzukZcYTbhoCBYIQAvD_BwE

Don - If I sand down the wood down, do you think I could knock that broke pin out and find another to match it? Wonder if I could find one local, probable cost $20 shipping for a 50 cent pin...8^)

Yes. They're two=piece cutler rivets. You have to measure the diameter of the heads and then order some just long enough. But you'll likely have to get a bunch, unfortunately.

You should be able to pop that half a pin out with a nail. Or A pin punch if you have one. I would use a small piece of brass rod or copper and make my own pin. Then peen it on both side of the handle. Then sand and finish.

What Don T. said.

Thanks MUCH guys, I appreciate the advice...

That's a slicey knife, not a stabby. You need the point in line with the handle. And a hilt so you don't run your hand down on to the blade. Your knife is a great candidate for several styles of slicing knives. The blade stiffness is in the spine. For stabbing, stiffness should be in line with the handle and the point.

"And a hilt so you don't run your hand down on to the blade"

Yeah fewfeathers, I agree, had thought of that... Is there any way to secure a hilt to that blade?

It LOOKS like maybe the tang has enough of a flare on the edge side to support a hilt. But you would have to take of the scales.

I agree with the guys that say that knife is for filleting fish and for butchering as for slicing steaks and liver meat.

fewfeathers has it right for a fighting and defense knife. Just look at the military knives.

I would use it as is, a fillet knife. Get a beefier knife for general purpose.

With that said, if you wanted to make a thin bladed general purpose kitchen knife, it could easily be ground for that use. Using your ruler it looks to me like a 5-6" length in a kitchen knife shape is doable. I absolutely would not put a hilt on that dude. Have fun.

To add to FEW-FEATHERS? Knife GOOD! GUN BETTER if You encounter a GRIZZLY! ( Hoping that NO BODY DOES...unless actually hunting one? and then have plenty of back-up!)

Zbone, I seriously doubt that anyone would grind that much depth out of a blade to achieve that profile. It is a super useful, slender, beautiful profile. I just think it was made that way. Great knife! Thanks for sharing!

Thank for the advice guys, MUCH appreciated... Yeah, I think I'll do as youenz say just keep it as a big fillet/butchering knife... My thinking was wanting a blade long enough to reach the vitals...

Have been thinking about a tactical knife a lot recently after purchasing a Cold Steel SRK (6"blade) but not sure 6" blade could reach the vitals if a Grizz bear is on top of ya... Guess it would depend on the size of the bear...8^)

Well, this gives me the excuse to buy the Recon Tanto with a 7" blade... Man that thing looks wicked to stab a bear with...8^)

One last question on the Vintage Victorinox - How can I clean that blade up without buffing off the logo/lettering? The markings are hard to see now...

I usually just use a Brillo pad and some warm water.

Thanks Don... I was thinking about setting it in a tube overnight in white vinegar first?

You guys think the vinegar would take the etching off?

0000 steel or bronze wool and oil. Mineral oil if it'll be used for food prep. Bar Keepers friend works wonders as well.

My brother worked as a meat cutter for years, a while back he sent me a bag full of black handled knives that he said had reached their sharpening limit.

They were all shapes and sizes, at least a dozen of them, I never looked at them closely and gave most of them away to my deer hunting friends.

Last year I decided to start cutting up my own deer, I used my meager supply of knives out of my kitchen knife drawer as well as ordering some Victorinox knives off Amazon.

About the time I got my new boning knives in I thought about that bag of knives my brother gave me. I looked in the bag and found they were all Victorinox, several of them were boning knives just like I had ordered and appeared not to be worn down hardly at all.

ZBONE, There some mil style bayonets with long blades. I have one with a blade that is ALMOST 7" ( US M8A1 PWH) Pretty sure that the sheath is METAL. Has a TIE DOWN at the bottom of the sheath> not sure where You will find one or how much? Maybe You have a MIL surplus in your area? YMMV ? GOOD HUNTING & BLESSED BE!

If a bear gets close to that knife and you live thru it, it ought to make good reading. bvd

If a bear gets close to that knife and you live thru it, it ought to make good reading. bvd

Thanks JBM, yeah I thought about a Trench knife... I actually have a Glock FM 81 Field Knife which is the Austrian Army knife and also serves as a bayonet for the Steyr AUG rifle... I like it and what I was planning on carrying in Grizz county (if I ever get back there again) although I don't know if the 6.5" length blade is long enough to reach a Grizzly's vitals and kinda why I was thinking about the Vintage Victorinox... What do you guys think, is 6-1/2" - 7" long enough for a bear fight?

"If a bear gets close to that knife and you live thru it, it ought to make good reading"

Yeah, if you survive...8^)

Got bite bad in the face by a mean dog as a kid and since have always had the fear of being eaten alive by a Grizzly or a shark... I won't swim in the ocean...

I think the movies "Jaws" and "Grizzly" watched as a teen have something to do with that...8^)

And have always wanted to arrow a shark...8^)

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